i897-] PRAEGER. — Expedition to Rockatl. 321 



and Manx Sheanvaters about. We wanted to lower the gig, 

 with the harpoon gun on board, and make a final attempt to 

 land by throwing a line over the rock, but the captain would 

 not give his permission, on account of the state of the sea- 

 The dingh}^ was lowered, with Green and two men, and they 

 went as near the rock as they dared, but even on the lee side 

 they could not approach within twenty yards, on account of 

 th(i back-wash of the heavy seas. They failed likewise in 

 procuring any seaweeds from Rockall or Hazlewood, and 

 came aboard again with nothing but a good deal of salt 

 water. 



i.o P.M. — Immediately after breakfast we put down the 

 Agassiz trawl in 120 fathoms 16 miles east of Rockall, and 

 while it was down had great fishing for Fulmars over the stern, 

 with baited hooks and twine. But the birds were quite too 

 clever for us, taking the bait off the hooks repeatedly without 

 once being caught. At 10 p.m. we got the trawl aboard, and 

 found that we had at last made a good haul. The pocket was 

 full of the great pink sea-slug Holothicria treviula, and of two 

 sponges — a large cup-shaped one, and a cylindrical one. There 

 was a large variety of other things, including Dorocidaris^ 

 Spatangus purpureus, and other QQhmoi&Sy Anotnia, Bucciimm, 

 Fusus} Scapha7ider, and a pretty little transparent Pecten^ 

 among molluscs. Crania and numerous Polyzoa on a couple 

 of large black stones, and many other things. As soon as the 

 trawl was aboard (11.30) we started full speed eastward for St. 

 Kilda, with a rising wind singing in the rigging, and Jameson 

 and I are now busy on the forecastle bottling and labelling the 

 specimens. 



1.0 P.M., Wednesday, June 17. St. Kilda. — All day yester- 

 day we bowled along with a merry S.W. wind behind us, and 

 a sparkling heaving blue sea. We were tired enough after 

 our morning's work, and sprawled about the deck luxuriously 

 in the sunshine, spinning yarns, and watching for birds. A 

 large cetacean, probably a Rorqual, was seen in the evening, 

 but did not come near the ship. We had a gorgeous sunset, 

 and at 9.30— still broad daylight in these northern latitudes — 

 I turned in, but was speedily roused by a commotion on deck, 



' Buccinopsis Dalci. ^ P- similis. 



